Home Care
We Asked 5 Recently Hired Home Care Nurses the Same 5 Questions. Here’s What They Said!
May 14, 2024–To celebrate National Nurses Month, we asked several of our Home Care nurses the same 5 questions. To see how they answered, scroll down here below, or click on a name to go directly that nurse’s answers. Furdicia Morancie, VNS Health nurse since October 2022 What did you do prior to working at VNS Health? I worked in a private dermatology business and at a skilled nursing facility. What’s your favorite thing about nursing? Making a difference every day in the lives of my patients. I can directly see the outcome of my work. What’s one of the most rewarding parts of caring for people in their homes? Helping patients live safely at home, honestly. They are so happy to have a nurse come in—sometimes we’re the only person they see all day. What’s one thing that has surprised you about working at VNS Health? How welcome and well taken
Latest Home Care News
Then and Now: The VNS Health Nurse’s Bag… and Rolling Bag Backpack
May 31, 2023–In celebration of National Nurses Month, Frontline did some digging through the VNS Health archives that are housed at Columbia University. We unearthed some historic photos of a nurse’s bag, like this one from 1953 of a VNS Health nurse laying out the contents of her bag. We also came upon this photo from approximately 1938, showing a display of the contents from a nurse’s bag. 85 years later, what’s changed in the supplies that VNS Health nurses take with them on home visits, and what’s stayed the same? Let’s take a look! In 1938, a VNS Health nurse carried: Today, VNS Health nurses carry: Hygiene Materials:SoapAlcohol SwabsHand SanitizerPaper Towels Isopropyl Alcohol Personal Protection Equipment:Isolation GownApron 3 Ply Earloop Mask N95 Respirator Mask Goggles Head Covers Shoe Covers Patient Care Materials:Blood Pressure Cuff Stethoscope Documentation Materials:Tablet Start of Care Packet Patient Care Supplies:Towel Drapes 4”x4” Gauze Gloves
Congrats to Katie Gildea, VNS Health’s 2023 SLP of the Year!
May 25, 2023–As we approach the end of Better Speech and Hearing Month, we’re proud to announce that speech-language pathologist (SLP) Katie Gildea has been named VNS Health’s Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year! Leaders from VNS Health Provider Services reviewed this year’s nominations and selected Katie as someone who exemplifies how our SLPs go above and beyond to achieve the best possible outcomes for their patients—delivering outstanding service while also embodying VNS Health’s Core Values of Integrity, Empathy and Agility. Katie started out in speech-language pathology almost 20 years ago, working with children and adults recovering from brain injuries. After several years, she moved to New York and joined VNS Health. Now approaching 15 years with the organization, she has spent much of her career working with patients on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. “I feel very lucky to be in home health care right now,” said Katie. “I find that all my
VNS Health’s Speech-Language Pathologists Share Some of Their Most Memorable Cases
May 18, 2023–May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, and May 18 is National Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) Appreciation Day. These recognitions are an opportunity to highlight the life-altering care provided by SLPs at VNS Health and other health care organizations nationwide. Whether it’s assisting an aphasia patient to find the words that are eluding them, treating a swallowing disorder in someone recovering from a stroke, or training a laryngectomy patient to use a voice prosthesis, these skilled therapists help their clients regain the ability to eat, speak and communicate every day. To get an inside look at the important work they do, we asked several VNS Health speech-language pathologists to share some of their most memorable professional moments. “Because we get involved with our patients’ lives on a more personal level, we become aware of issues they hadn’t been able to communicate.” Charlene Cano, Senior Speech-Language Pathologist, Queens “A few years ago,
In This Special Nurses Month Video, Learn How Our Nurse Residency Program Embraces New Nurses
May 16, 2023–Earlier this month, the New York State Home Care Association (HCA) presented its prestigious Trailblazer Quality & Innovation Award to VNS Health’s innovative Nurse Residency Program and its related RN Preceptor position. In case you missed the video that was presented at the HCA’s Annual Conference, here it is.
GAP Program Featured in HomeCare Mag, With Perspective from GAP Clinical Director Shannon Whittington and Social Worker Asia Lyons
May 9, 2023–
RN Bridget McQuilken Speaks to the Importance of Mentorship in the Manhattan Voice, Featuring Perspective from RN Robert Yore
May 8, 2023–
Nurses Month Special: A Day in the Life of Brooklyn Nurse Preceptor Bridget McQuilkin
May 8, 2023–Welcome to another edition of “A Day in the Life”—a Frontline series that follows staff members from different parts of VNS Health as they go about a typical day at work. Frontline recently met up with Bridget McQuilken, who works in VNS Health Home Care’s Brooklyn region as a nurse preceptor. In this role, which is part of VNS Health’s Nurse Residency Program, she mentors recent nursing school graduates who are just starting out in the home care field. Bridget has been with the organization since 2018. Born in Grenada and raised in England, she was a schoolteacher before transitioning into the health care field. With over a decade of nursing experience in both the hospital and the home under her belt, she started at VNS Health as a field nurse in Manhattan before becoming a nurse preceptor last year. We asked Bridget to take us through a typical day
McKnight’s Puts Special Spotlight on Jennifer Brullo, SVP of Patient Care Services and McKnight’s Pinnacle Honoree
May 5, 2023–
Meet VNS Health’s 2023 OT of the Year: Gladys Bayles-Panes!
April 27, 2023–As Occupational Therapy Month draws to a close, we’re proud to announce that Senior Occupational Therapist Gladys Bayles-Panes has been named VNS Health’s Occupational Therapist of the Year! Leaders from the Occupational Therapy (OT) and Rehabilitation teams reviewed nominations from across VNS Health to select an awardee who not only exemplifies our Core Values, but goes above and beyond to achieve the best possible outcomes and deliver outstanding service. With nearly three decades in the health care field, including the past 15 years with VNS Health, Gladys currently serves as a field clinician in Queens and Nassau County, and often travels to assist other OTs and Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTAs) with home visits and consultations. “I’m truly proud to be an occupational therapist and to work with a lot of wonderful and hardworking OTs,” says Gladys. “Every day we try our best to make a difference in our patients’